Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

KEVES, WORLD OF THE BIONIS - THREE YEARS AFTER THE RESET

To any outsider, Eunie’s life appeared to have followed a fairy-tale-like transformation. Three years ago, Eunie and her three closest friends had gone from being orphans to becoming the adoptive children of a queen. Overnight, they had traded their overcrowded orphanage for rooms in Keves Castle. Eunie’s best friends had become her three brothers. Queen Melia was no longer a distant, lofty monarch, but the closest thing Eunie had to a mother.

Eunie should, by all accounts, be perfectly happy. But there persisted a want she could not satisfy. She felt more strongly by the day that something was missing from her life. More frustratingly, Eunie could not articulate what­ she yearned so desperately for. She would have traveled to the ends of the earth to find it, but she hadn’t the faintest idea where to look.

She felt closest to that missing Something when she studied her tea book, paging through her beloved recipes, noting the infinite care that had gone into the book’s creation. The cover was made from smooth Armu leather. The beautiful, handwritten notes flowed across thick, durable paper. Eunie had the most peculiar certainty this book was assembled just for her­­––but by whom, she could not recall.

She paged through the book to the section containing her favorite chamomile tea recipe, scanning the words out of habit despite having memorized the page’s content long ago. The tea used a combination of calming herbs and other ingredients that helped to put her mind at ease when that restless, nagging Something tugged at her conscience. She really needed that tea today. Eunie made her way up to the castle garden to gather her supplies.

The garden on the upper floors of Keves Castle boasted flowers, foods, and fauna. The rich colors and smells could put anyone at ease. Eunie went to the section dedicated to the tea leaves and herbs she tended herself. As she gathered her ingredients, she sensed someone else enter the garden behind her.

“Replenishing your supplies?” Melia asked.

“Would you like me to make you a cup?” Eunie offered.

The queen shook her head. “Another time. I’m just taking a break between meetings.”

“Perhaps I should brew you some tea anyway,” Eunie said. “Something caffeinated.”

Melia laughed. “This meeting is not of a particularly tedious nature.”

“They’re all tedious, Melia.”

“To you I’m sure they would seem so.”

Melia took a seat in front of the forget-me-nots planted in honor of her father, mother, and brother. There were additional flowers for each of the children’s parents as well.

“Come sit with me,” Melia said, gesturing to the seat beside her. “You appear very deep in thought, Eunie. I’m happy to listen if you wish to share.”

Eunie sat beside the queen and ran a hand over the cover of her book. “I was just thinking…we know how it feels to miss those who’ve died, how it feels to remember them and wish they were here, but…have you ever missed someone you can’t clearly remember? Can you long for someone you might never even have met?”

Melia nodded. “I think I know what you mean. After losing my family, I was blessed to have irreplaceable friends at my side. Over time, they, too, became family, and I gained new loved ones over the years, as well. But at times I felt a longing, a desire for something I did not possess. I thought myself selfish and that I ought to find contentment in the blessings afforded me, but the ache remained. And then fate led me to you and your brothers, and my heart has been full ever since.”

She tucked a loose strand of Eunie’s hair behind her ear.

“That is to say, have patience, darling. That kind of longing is your heart’s way of preparing you, of telling you to stay alert, so when you do cross paths with that person you long for, you will not let opportunity pass you by.”

The moment was interrupted by a frantic voice calling to the queen.

“Majesty! Majesty!” Melia’s attendant Aizel came rushing toward them in a panic. “Your next appointment­––”

“I didn’t forget, Aizel,” Melia said, rising to her feet. She smiled at Eunie. “Duty calls.”

“Melia…” Eunie said. “Thank you for the chat. It helped, what you said.”

“Any time, darling. I’ll see you at dinner.”

Eunie prepared her usual chamomile tea, but it failed to calm her nerves. She felt an insistent tug, a nagging feeling pulling her out of the castle and into town. Much to Aizel’s annoyance, she insisted on going without an escort. Eunie loved the family she’d gained, but hated all the fuss that came with a royal address. She followed the persistent feeling into town, toward the park where she had long collected Fourtune clovers. Before her adoption, she had collected them in the hope her friends might find places to call home. The attendants at the orphanage cared deeply for the children in their custody, but even their wealth of kindness and generosity of spirit spread thin in the overcrowded institution. The night that marked twenty years since Melia’s coronation also marked a turning point in Eunie’s life. That night, Noah had disappeared for hours, leaving his worried friends to search the city twice over. Then, he’d shown up right in the town square with none other than the queen herself. Melia had never explained to Eunie what urged her to take Noah, Eunie, Lanz, and Joran to the castle that evening, but the four had called it home ever since.

One might think that after that, Eunie had no further use for Fourtune Clovers, but she remained an avid collector. After all, you could never really have too much luck. But sometimes, the urge went beyond that of a hobby. It felt like a compulsion, like if she just found the right Fourtune Clover, or gathered enough, she would find the answer to this longing she couldn’t explain. She would find that missing Someone.

It was this feeling that urged her forward today. The sun was setting when she approached the hillside in the park. A bright light blinded her for a moment and when she recovered her vision, the scene had shifted. She was standing on a hillside overlooking the ocean, but not the ocean of her hometown. Bent over a clover patch was a boy that looked to be about her age of thirteen. It was a face she had seen in dreams, a face she could not recall upon waking, but which burst forth in her mind’s eye now. When his hazel eyes met hers, an image flashed in her mind of an older boy from another life. He did not have his glasses here, nor a bright orange scarf. But she knew. She knew the moment she saw him.

"No one's worlds apart. If anything, we should be questioning all we've thought to be true."

"This fight isn't ending any time soon. Eunie, are you feeling alright?"

"Will I see the same faces when I wake? Will I even be around to see them?"

“There must be a reason we met.”

"O-oh. And who...might that be?"

"Who am I if not scrupulous?"

His name­­–-the name so often on the tip of her tongue, at the edge of her memory–-came to her lips as easily and familiarly as if she’d known it all her life.

LEFTHERIA, ALREST - THREE YEARS AFTER THE RESET

Taion was not superstitious. He did not put stock in auspicious days and star alignments and good-luck charms. And yet he found himself drawn to­­––perhaps pulled was more accurate––the hillside outside his family's summer home to collect Fourtune Clovers on the solstice. Why he felt this urge he could not rationally explain. It was a feeling, like a rope tugging in that direction. It was instinct. It was that same pull, that same yearning, that sometimes overtook him. Sometimes the yearning resembled the grief he harbored over the loss of his parents, but whereas his parents had departed from this life, the other person­­––this mysterious Someone he longed for­­––was alive, somewhere. He could feel it. They were somewhere, just out of reach.

He had ignored the feeling at first. He recalled it began around the age of ten. At the time, he had shoved the feeling aside, written it off as paranoia or anxiety. Why couldn’t he just be happy? But he wasn’t unhappy. He loved his adoptive family with all his heart: his adoptive older brother Isurd, Isurd’s wife Nimue, and Nimue’s younger cousin Fiona. Despite the tragedy that had formed their family of four, Taion felt incredibly blessed to have them. Still, someone was missing.

His family had noted the change that sometimes came of Taion. Isurd lectured Taion on the changes a young man could expect at Taion’s age and left him with a stack of books about puberty. Nimue had taught him how to summon and control the Mondo, speculating that self-defense training might make Taion feel safer, more in control. But dreams still came that caused him to wake screaming, or crying, or drenched in sweat, his heart galloping. They came more frequently over the years. When Taion was visibly anxious, the nine-year-old Fiona would make him cups of Saffronia tea and try to make him laugh. For his family’s sake, Taion had learned to smile and assure them all was well.

He had done the same today when he insisted his siblings go walk the beach without him.

“The tide brought in loads of shells,” he’d said. “Fiona will love it. You three go without me. I’ll be fine. Just an upset stomach. Go on!”

As soon as the three had ventured far enough from their modest home, Taion headed toward the clover patch on the hill. The feeling urging him there was practically screaming at him now.

This is idiotic, he thought, crouching to spot a four-leafed clover. What exactly was finding a Fourtune Clover supposed to accomplish anyway?

“It’s not like it does any harm!” an inner voice said. A voice like a half-remembered dream.

Where had he heard that voice? Why did he remember falling to his knees as someone drifted further away, out of sight, out of memory?

As if the plant would yield answers, he doubled his efforts to locate a Fourtune Clover. He searched and search until at last he found it.

"Ah ha!” he said triumphantly, plucking the clover from the ground. A bright light flashed that made him blink. He thought it was the glare of sunset. Before he could ponder the source of the light, he heard the voice again.

“Taion.”

He looked up and found himself in an unfamiliar setting, regarded by an unfamiliar girl. But, actually, as he studied her, he realized he had seen her blue eyes before. He had seen those off-white wings atop her brown hair. Images flashed through his mind. Himself and an older version of this girl drinking tea together, laughing, fighting side by side, comforting each other in some of their darkest moments.

“'Ready' he says. From the moment I chose this muddy path, I've been more than ready!"

"This isn't just for me anymore. A lot of people's hopes are riding on this...I'll carry these hopes as far as I can, until we make the world how it should be!"

"Things will be different. We're with you, Taion."

"Now I've got a reliable guy to stand by me, so..."

“And you found a reason?”

The girl raced towards him and tackled him in a hug.

 Taion returned the embrace.

“It’s good to see you, Eunie.”

Chapter Text

LEFTHERIA, ALREST - FOUR YEARS AFTER THE RESET

Returning home had always felt strange to Taion, but especially now that he spent his time divided between the worlds of the Bionis and Alrest. In a way, this small, nameless island in the Leftherian Archipelago would always be home, and in some ways it had not been home for many years.

He had been born on this island. He could remember walks along the shore with his mother and father, summer festivals in their small village, ordinary days as a family. The memories were hazy though. He had been only six when the Fog struck the island. Only the island’s children, Nimue, Isurd, and Taion, had survived thanks to their being away at the nearest school in Fonsett village. They used to journey to the school on the weekdays by boat, as did other children from the small specs of land scattered near Fonsett. Taion hadn’t feared the water then. Water was a way of life in Leftheria. But after the annihilation event struck his home, the ocean became a reminder of loss. And in Aionios, he associated water with Nimue's death as well. Even a lifetime and a world away, the hurt from that day remained. Still, he kept up the tradition of his family’s yearly pilgrimage to their place of birth. He knew what it meant to his adoptive siblings.

The Conseil family spent their summer holidays in a modest cottage on a hill overlooking the sea. Queen Nia was generous in allowing Isurd and Nimue ample time off from their duties as royal advisors. She encouraged the couple to make the most of Taion and Fiona’s time off from school. This summer, however, the Conseils would have one additional member of the household as Eunie was coming to stay for several weeks.

The Queens Melia and Nia felt it would do the Ouroboros children good to visit the different regions of each world, but there was more to it than that. While all the friends enjoyed one another’s company, the Ouroboros partners in particular found it hard to be apart. Small stretches of time were fine, of course. They needn’t cling to one another every hour of the day. But whenever more than a day passed without seeing Eunie, Taion found that the day felt incomplete. He would miss the smallest of things: sharing tea with her, seeing her smile, hearing her laugh, or simply sitting beside her. After two weeks away from one another, he was more than ready to have her back.

Taion was cleaning the windows that overlooked the path to the cottage. He had “cleaned” these windows at least three times over just to have an excuse to watch for Eunie’s arrival. Taion managed to keep his eagerness concealed, but ten-year-old Fiona had no issue voicing her impatience.

“Is she here yet?” his sister asked.

“They’re not due until sunset, Fiona,” he reminded her for the umpteenth time.

“So that’s about an hour from now, right?”

“Yes, around then.”

“So then why are you waiting by the window?”

Fiona gave him a knowing smirk.

Taion gestured toward the cleaning cloth in his hand. “Doing something useful. Want to help?”

“Actually, I could use some help,” their older sister Nimue said, entering from the neighboring kitchen. “Could you guys give me a hand with dinner?”

“Sure thing!” Fiona said.

“Sure, no problem.”

Nimue tended to a large pot on the stove, making a traditional Leftherian stew.

“Taion, could you read the next step in the recipe to me?” she asked, gesturing toward the cookbook that lay open on the counter. “I’m afraid if I take my eyes off the food it’s going to burn.”

The Conseils had many talents. Cooking was not among them. Nimue’s was at least passable. Taion and Isurd had been all but banned from preparing meals.

“No problem,” Taion said, picking up the cookbook.

Except there was a problem. He squinted at the pages, but could hardly make out the words. Nimue, always the keen observer, noticed right away.

“Taion, where are your glasses?”

“I don’t need them,” Taion said.

Nimue crossed her arms. “That is not what the optometrist said when I took you last week.”

“Fine,” he said. “Maybe I need them for reading, but otherwise, I’m fine. Let’s swap. You read the recipe and I’ll cook.”

“Oh, no,” Nimue said. “I let you near this stove and this thing really will burn. You might even set yourself on fire.”

“I didn’t need my glasses until I was seven terms old in Aionios,” he argued. “Why would I need them at age fourteen here?”

Nimue shrugged. “Our bodies here aren’t identical to the ones we had there. It could be that as soldiers in Aionios our physical limitations were delayed so that we could fight longer. Whatever the case, you need to go put on your glasses.”

“No,” Taion said. “I don’t.”

Nimue studied him a moment. “You don’t want Eunie to see you in your glasses,” she said.

“What? Wh-who said anything about that?”

Fiona burst out laughing. “Look, Nini! His face is so red.”

“I don’t know why you’re so self-conscious about it,” Nimue said. “You look very handsome with your glasses. I bet Eunie would think so, too.”

“Can we please just drop the subject?” Taion asked. He didn’t need Fiona to point out that he was blushing. He could feel the heat radiating off his cheeks.

Taion had already run through a list of nicknames Eunie might give him if she saw him wearing glasses, namely those she’d used in Aionios: four-eyes, bug-eyes, Professor Grump.

His sisters thankfully said no more on the topic as the three of them readied the kitchen for dinner. When the fiery hues of sunset reached through the kitchen window, Fiona hurried off to look out front.

“She’s here!” Fiona announced, racing out the front door.

“Do you still need my help?” Taion asked Nimue, poorly concealing his own desire to rush out the door.

“I’ve got this,” Nimue assured. “Go! Don’t keep your guest waiting.”

Taion nodded and followed Fiona. Isurd and Eunie were at the end of the walkway, Taion’s brother having accompanied Eunie from Origin. Fiona raced up to the older girl.

“Eunie-noony!”

“Hey there, Fi!” Eunie greeted as Fiona launched herself into the High Entia’s arms. “You’re growing like a beanstalk, girl! You’ll be as tall as me soon.”

Isurd took one look at how Taion was staring at Eunie and gave his brother a knowing pat on the shoulder.

“Fiona!” Isurd called. “Let’s go help Nimue in the kitchen!”

“But we already did that,” Fiona said.

“Then help me take Eunie’s bags upstairs.”

“Why not make Taion do that…Oh. Oh. I’ve got it,” she said, realization dawning on the preteen. She gave Taion a knowing wink.

Taion resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

And then it was just him and Eunie.  

“Um, uh…hi,” Taion said taking a step toward his friend, but unsure what to do from there. Should he hug her? It wasn’t like they’d never hugged before.

Thankfully for Taion, Eunie made the decision for him, reaching out to hug him. He gladly returned the embrace.

“Hi,” she said with a smile when she pulled back.

“Hi,” Taion repeated. “Did you have any trouble crossing over?”

Usually they crossed over together, but Eunie had spent the last two weeks in Keves to spend time with her mother and brothers.

“Nah, no problems,” she said.

“Well, I’m…I’m glad you’re here.”

“Me, too. You sure it’s alright, me staying for a whole month? I don’t want to be a burden.”

“You’re not. You won’t be. Everyone’s excited you’re here. It’s all Fiona’s talked about.”

And all he had thought about, Taion thought, though he kept that bit to himself.

“Well, I am quite the role model,” Eunie said.

Taion burst out laughing.

“What?” Eunie demanded. “Is that funny to you?”

“Yes,” he admitted.

“Well, excuse you. Is this how Leftherians treat foreign emissaries? So much for the famed Leftherian hospitality.”

“My deepest apologies, Princess Eunice Antiqua, First of Her Name,” Taion said with a sarcastic bow.

“Oi, that’s enough out of you, smartass,” Eunie said, but she couldn’t help but laugh. “You going to show your royal guest inside or are we standing out here all night?”

He chuckled. “Come on, then.”

The last light of day was quickly fading and it took none but a few steps before Taion stumbled forward. Eunie caught him, halting his fall.

“You okay?” she asked.

He cleared his throat. “Yes. Fine. Just, uh…mind the uneven ground there.”

“Right…”

He made it back into the house without stumbling again.

Nimue came to the entryway to greet Eunie. “We’re thrilled to have you here, Eunie.”

“Thank you for inviting me.”

“Why don’t you both get washed up and we’ll eat?”

Taion managed to get through most of dinner without incident, with the exception of mistaking a fork for a spoon. Why had Fiona even set out forks when they were eating stew?

“Fiona,” Isurd said. “The fireflies will be out tonight. Want to go and watch them after dinner?”

“Sure! Eunie, you should come, too! They light up the entire field. It’s beautiful.”

“You’re welcome to join us if you want to Eunie,” Nimue said. “But if you’d rather stay here and rest, that’s fine, too. Taion tells me crossing over can be rather draining.”

Taion narrowed his eyes at his siblings, which he doubted had any impact. They probably thought he was just squinting.

Eunie politely declined the invitation. “But I’d love to see them another night.”

“Of course,” Isurd said. “Taion, you don’t mind helping Eunie get settled while we’re out, right?”

“Um, no. Of course not.”

Isurd gave Taion an approving clap on the shoulder. Fiona burst into conspiratorial giggles.

“We may be gone awhile,” Nimue said on their way out the door. “If we don’t see you before you head to bed, then goodnight, Eunie! We’re really glad to have you here.”

Real subtle, the lot of you, Taion thought as his siblings left him and Eunie alone. Eunie wished the trio goodnight and Taion began to clear the table.

“Would you like some tea?” he asked. “We have a dessert tea that I think you’d like.”

Eunie assisted in cleaning up the kitchen. “No caffeine I take it?” she asked. “Otherwise, I’ll be up all night.”

“No. It’s an herbal blend.”

“Sounds good to me.”

As the water boiled and the tea leaves steeped, they chatted about the last couple of weeks. Eunie filled Taion in on her three brothers’ summer plans. Mio was staying at Keves Castle for the rest of summer holiday, so Noah would be “playin’ that snuffin’ flute of his and making googoo eyes at his girlfriend” as Eunie put it. She wasn’t sorry to miss that. Sena and Lanz were visiting Mor Ardain with Sena’s mothers. Joran was starting an apprenticeship with a Kevesi artist.

When the tea finished steeping, Taion mixed a teaspoon of sugar into each cup.

They sat down at the table with cups in hand.

“Cheers,” Eunie said. She took one sip and instantly recoiled. “Uh…Taion, I don’t mean to be rude, but…do Leftherians make tea with ocean water?”

“What?”

“It’s salty.”

“Salty?”

He took a sip of his own cup and gagged. What in the worlds had happened? He had followed his usual recipe…Then it hit him.

He groaned and put his head in his hands. “I added salt instead of sugar, didn’t I?” he asked.

Eunie got up to inspect the ingredients on the counter. “That’s what the evidence points to,” she said. “But Taion, how did you not notice? Isurd’s got every object in this house labeled.”

He sighed and summoned his glasses to his hand and put them on.

He braced himself for the inevitable. “Go ahead,” he said, resigned to his fate.

“You got glasses?”

He’d expected her to burst out laughing or mock him, but she seemed more concerned than amused.

“Yes,” he said. “Now go ahead. Get it out of your system.”

“Get what out of my system?”

“You know. Go ahead and call me ‘four-eyes’ or ‘bug-eyes’ or whatever else you think up.”

She was quiet a moment. “Hang on. Were you not wearing your glasses before because you thought I’d make fun of you?”

She sounded surprised, even a bit wounded, which caught Taion off guard.

“I…well, that seemed a likely outcome, yes.”

She returned to the table and scooted a chair close to him. “Taion, look me in the eyes, now that you can.”

Eunie took a deep breath, seeming to weigh her words. “I know…we tease each other a lot. Especially me. But I’d never intentionally say something to hurt you. I don’t enjoy making you feel bad. You…you do know that, right?”

“No, I mean…I know you wouldn’t intentionally…I just thought…you’ve made similar comments before.”

“When?” Eunie asked, disbelieving.

“Do you not recall the dozens of times you’ve called my choice of clothing ‘deeply uncool?’”

“Well, sure, but that’s stuff you choose to wear, not something medically necessary. And I only said your scarf is uncool. Which it is.”

Before he could retort, Eunie placed a hand on his face, shocking him into silence. She gently tapped the rim of his glasses.

“These don’t make you look like a nerd. I mean, you are a nerd. But not because of these. These…suit you, actually.”

It was only when she lowered her hand that Taion realized he’d been holding his breath.

She shrugged. “I won’t make fun of your glasses. I swear on Melia’s snowy white wings.”

In the back of his mind, Taion wondered how Eunie’s adoptive mother felt about Eunie swearing by her body parts. That was a question for another time, though.

“I will however be teasing you about the salt in the tea,” Eunie said. “For many years to come.”

She gave him an impish smile.

Taion smiled, too. “I guess I deserve that.”

Eunie laughed. “So, now that you can actually see, what do you say we try making that tea again? You can teach me the recipe.”

“You only want to observe to make sure I don’t mix up the ingredients again,” he said.

“You’re darn right. I don’t fancy another salty cuppa.”

He laughed. “Alright then. Come on.”

When they returned to the table, two new cups of tea in hand, Eunie challenged Taion to take the first sip.

“No salt,” he reported.

“Okay then. Cheers!”

They talked about simple things––books they were reading, the places Eunie wanted to visit while in Leftheria. Now that he could see her clearly, Taion noted all the small details about Eunie he had so missed the last two weeks. Her different ways of smiling. The way her eyes sparkled when she got excited. The subtle movements of her wings. So many things that collectively made her so captivating.

“You okay, Taion?” Eunie asked. “You spaced out there for a bit.”

“I’m fine,” Taion said, averting his gaze by pretending to adjust his glasses.

Eunie picked up their cups and returned to the stove. “Want another cup? I can try my hand at it this time.”

“Sure. Thanks.”

When she finished, she let him inspect the results. “So? How’s it look?”

He spared the tea the briefest of glances before looking back at her. “Absolutely perfect."

Chapter Text

LEFTHERIA, ALREST - FOUR YEARS AFTER THE RESET

“Wow. This is the clearest sky I’ve seen in ages,” Eunie said, studying the stars over the island.

A full moon hung overhead among the many stars that seemed to spill across the sky. Taion and Eunie lay stargazing on the hilltop beside the Conseil’s summer cottage. All the lights within the cottage were out as Nimue, Isurd, and Fiona had already headed to bed.

“One of the few benefits of being in the middle of nowhere,” Taion said. “You can’t see this many stars in the cities like Torigoth.”

“It’s interesting, isn’t it, that this world and my world and Aionios can have so many differences, but the sky remains the same across them all," Eunie said. "The moon, too. A full moon in Keves would look just like this, down to the craters.”

“I wonder…” Taion said. “Do you think the only point of divergence between our universes are the worlds of Alrest and the Bionis? Or are there other differences, too?”

“Don’t know,” Eunie said. “Melia, Shulk, and the others did say it was the splitting of the original world into two that created our different universes. But other things within those universes could have changed since they formed. There are so many possibilities. It’s kind of overwhelming to think about. Even a little scary.”

“It can feel frightening,” Taion agreed. “But I also find it comforting, in a way, to know something bigger than myself--that so far predates me and will far outlive me--carries on, persisting even across universes. It makes the daily worries feel quite small when you think of it.”

Eunie turned, regarding Taion. “Well, look at you being all wise and philosophical.”

He turned to look at her as well. “Now why do sound surprised by that?”

“I’m not doubting your intelligence, Oh Wise One,” Eunie said.  “Just surprised to hear you talking about feelings. Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad you’re opening up. I just didn’t expect it is all.”

“Well…Perhaps I find it a bit easier to express my emotions with you…You have seen my thoughts.”

“Hm. And yet…” She reached out and lightly poked his forehead. “There’s still so much that goes on in that head of yours that I wonder about.”

“D-do you?”

Eunie grinned at how easily flustered he could become at her slightest touch. This was why she couldn’t help but tease him. Taion always tried to imitate his older siblings by appearing calm and collected, but really he was an awkward, shy person that could be every bit as hotheaded as herself. That was the Taion she knew and loved.

“Yep,” she said. “But it’s okay if I don’t know everything you’re thinking. I’m not gonna grill you for answers. I figure you’ll tell me what you want me to know when the time’s right, and as for the rest, I’ll just figure it out for myself.”

“Are you sure you have the patience for that?” Taion teased.

She shrugged. “If it’s for you, I don’t mind.”

She readjusted to lay on her back and returned her gaze skyward. “So, what star do Alrestians consider the best one to wish on?”

“Well, you see that constellation there?” Taion asked, pointing toward a formation.

“You mean the Minor Bear?” Eunie asked.

“That’s the Kevesi name, yes. Here we call it the Little Dipper. Tradition says that the North Star, found in that constellation, is the best for wishing on. It’s the star at the tip of the handle, or the tail of the bear depending on how you look at it. Right there.”

“That one?” Eunie asked, pointing.

“Close,” Taion said.

He guided her hand, explaining that if you followed the two stars on the end of the Big Dipper’s cup, they pointed to the Northern Star. Eunie glanced briefly from their joined hands to Taion.

“Oh,” he said with sudden realization. “Uh…”

He made to let go of her hand, but Eunie laced her fingers with his and brought their joined hands to rest between them.

Taion swallowed, but didn’t let go. “Er, did you have something you wanted to wish for?” he asked.

Even in the dark, Eunie could see his cheeks burning. Stars above, she thought. Why is this nerd so snuffin' cute?

“Actually…” She kept her eyes firmly fixed on the sky. “I think I’m good.”

“Really?” he asked, evidently surprised.

“Yup. For the moment, I’ve got everything I want.”

She squeezed his hand. Neither dared to look at the other.

He squeezed her hand in return. “Me, too.”

Chapter Text

LAMBDA SHELTER, AIONIOS

 The group of Ouroboros had split up to secure provisions, gather information from the residents of Colony Lambda, and to recover from their grueling battle earlier in the day. Taion sat in front of a campfire just outside the colony gates. Through the waterfall that veiled the entrance to the colony, the colors of sunset shone through.

Taion winced as he applied a salve to a burn on his arm where the Lambda Ferronis had singed him with its lasers in the battle against the Moebius-controlled puppet of Commander Isurd.

“Here,” Eunie offered, taking a seat beside him. She used her staff to summon a healing ring. The burn faded as green ether surrounded him.

“Thanks,” Taion said.

“No problem. ‘Every healer needs a healer,’ right? Or that’s how the saying goes.”

Taion sighed. “My mentor used to say exactly that.”

“Nimue?” Eunie asked, her voice unusually gentle. “That was her name, right?”

Taion nodded, his eyes straying to Commander Isurd’s tent in the distance.

Eunie’s own eyes fell on Lanz, who was walking around aimlessly having withdrawn into himself since their encounter with Joran.

Taion followed her gaze. “Was that really him? Was it really Joran that we fought?”

“Yeah. Far as I can tell.” Eunie couldn’t keep the sadness out of her voice.

“Do you…want to talk about it?” Taion asked, despite his apparent discomfort with such a personal topic.

“You sure?” Eunie asked, crossing her arms. “Thought you didn’t like talking about feelings and such.”

“I’m not a Levnis, Eunie,” Taion said. “Just because I don’t wear my emotions on my sleeve doesn’t mean I don’t possess them, or that I can’t discuss them.”

Eunie uncrossed her arms. “Sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”

Taion sighed. “It’s fine. It's been a long day. For all of us.”

Eunie snorted. “Understatement of the term there, bud.”

They sat in contemplative silence for a while, each staring into the fire.

Taion ventured to speak. “What if we…made a sort of trade?”

“Hm? What you got in mind?”

Taion braced himself. Being vulnerable didn’t come easy to him, even with his Ouroborus partner. There wasn’t anything logical in his trying to mask his emotions, today, though. Not after he’d broken down in front of his companions during his reunion with Commander Isurd.

He took a deep breath. “I’ll tell you about Nimue if you’ll tell me about Joran.”

Eunie turned toward her Ouroborus partner, giving him her undivided attention. “Alright then.”

And so they talked, filling in the gaps between the memories they’d glimpsed when Interlinked. When they had finished, Eunie carefully weighed her words.

“Taion, did you ever think that by blaming yourself for what happened, you’re disrespecting Nimue’s sacrifice?”

“What?!”

“I don’t mean intentionally,” she explained, realizing she'd struck a nerve. “I just mean that Nimue made her own decision. She knew what she was doing and she was willing to do it to save you. She wanted you to live, Taion. So how could you offer Isurd––the fake one––your life, like it has no value at all? Nimue protected your life. Shouldn’t you do the same?”

Taion’s voice quivered. “Eunie…”

“And another thing!” Eunie said, no longer holding back the fear and frustration she’d felt when Taion had offered to die. It hurt just to remember. “Don’t you ever offer to throw your life away like that again.” She poked him in the chest. “You’ve got people who care about you! Got it?”

He was taken aback by her response. Certainly he knew the two of them had been growing closer of late, but he thought any concern she had toward him was surely that of an ally on the battlefield and little more.

“I…” He swallowed a lump in throat. “Yes. Got it.”

The tension in her body eased. “Right. Okay, then.”

“Eunie?” His voice was quiet, hesitant.

“Hm?” she asked.

“Thank you, by the way. For saving me during the battle.”

Eunie recalled the moment. She hadn’t considered her actions at all. All she knew was she wasn’t going to stand there and watch him die. Everything in her had screamed to protect him. It was automatic, the way her body moved, pushing him out of the path of the laser.

“You’re my partner, aren’t you?” she asked. “I’d be a pretty crappy partner if I didn’t watch your back. And I’d be an even worse friend.”

Taion found himself surprised yet again. “Are we…friends?”

She tilted her head back, smiling. “After all we’ve been through? Yep. Afraid so.”

Taion’s lips turned up at the corners, forming the ghost of a smile. “Very well then.”

“That was pretty cool, by the way, what you did with the Mondo when you took the Ouroborus form,” Eunie said. “Smart thinking, Mr. Tactician.”

Taion smirked. “Did you expect any less?”

“Eh, now. Don’t go getting a bigger head than you’ve already got.”

“To tell you the truth, I got the idea from you,” he admitted.

“From me?” Eunie asked, surprised.

“When you tackled me––”

“Saved you––”

“Your feathers went flying. Seeing them floating in the air, inspiration struck.”

“And that’s how you thought to do the illusion with the Mondo?” she asked. She touched her wings protectively. “Just don’t go plucking any feathers the next time you need inspiration.”

He laughed. “Fair enough.”

They sat beside each other awhile longer, the quiet between them now easy, companionable. Much as Eunie was enjoying this newfound friendship with Taion, she couldn’t help but stifle a yawn.

“Time to head to bed?” Taion asked.

“Probably best.”

Taion nodded. “I”ll let the others know and we can make camp for the night.”

“Oh?” Eunie asked. “We’re camping here?” Her wings drooped in disappointment. She’d been hoping to spend at least one night in a proper bed.

“The soldiers of Colony Lambda are still recovering from what Jor––from what Moebius did to them,” Taion explained. “So there aren’t a lot of beds to spare.”

Eunie sighed. “Well, it’s alright. ‘Least in the cave we won’t have to watch for rain.” She took a moment to appreciate their surroundings. “You know, this place is rather gorgeous.”

Taion smiled. “Glad you like it.”

“Nothing quite like coming home, eh?” she said, recalling the warmth and comfort she’d felt after they liberated Colony 9 just a short while ago.

“Yes,” Taion said. “I suppose so.”

“Should we ask the others to help make camp?” she asked.

“Sounds good.”

“Do we need to post a watch?” Noah asked as the group set up for the night.

“Lambda will have soldiers stationed outside the cave,” Taion said. “We’ll know if there’s trouble.”

“Right then,” Noah said. “Let’s all get a good night’s rest.”

Eunie realized too late that Sena and Lanz, Noah and Mio, and Riku and Manana had already set their sleeping bags down beside each other, leaving little choice but for the healers to do the same or risk crowding their friends.

Taion is your friend, she reminded herself. For some reason, in her mind Eunie ways always setting him apart from the others. She wouldn’t say she was necessarily closer to Taion than the other Agnians of their group, and certainly Eunie wasn’t as close to Taion as she was to Noah and Lanz, or even Riku. But things between her Taion just felt…different from any other relationship she’d ever had. She couldn’t really articulate what exactly the difference was. Maybe it was because they were Ouroboros partners. Certainly no one else had ever literally seen her thoughts.

But now wasn’t the time to reflect on that, she thought. No point overthinking things.

She spread out her sleeping bag and sat down. She gestured to the empty space beside her, feigning nonchalance.

“Aren’t you tired?” she asked.

“I, um, yes…just, erm…”

Without meeting her eyes, he settled down for the night as well. Taion appeared to debate his sleeping position before deciding to lay on his back. By the Queen, he could be so awkward. It was kind of endearing though, Eunie thought. A vast improvement over his initial thorniness, to be sure.

She laid on her back and closed her eyes. “Good night, Taion.”

“Good night…Eunie.”

MAKTHA WILDWOOD, AIONIOS

Eunie rested by the fire, sipping a cup of herbal tea she’d brewed. She still couldn’t make it as well as Taion, but what better way to learn than by trying? Night had fallen over the thick, ancient forest. She watched as Taion practiced various healing Arts with Commander Isurd. The Colony Lambda commander had agreed to accompany the group on their travels for a time. Ever since the commander joined, Taion seemed like a different person. Where before he had been distant, sarcastic, and dismissive, now he was smiling, laughing, even cracking jokes, though often with his usual snark.

Mio came to sit beside Eunie. “He’s a lot happier ever since Lambda,” Mio observed, echoing Eunie’s thoughts. “Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this happy. His guilt over Nimue, it must have been a heavy burden to bear.”

“He wasn’t like this with you and Sena in Gamma?” Eunie asked. “Thought he was just being surly with me and the boys because we’re Kevesi.”

“Nope,” Mio said. “He did start to open up to Sena and me after we’d worked together for a while. Certainly we were friends, but even then, he kept us at a certain distance.”

“Hm.”

“It seems like you two have been getting close,” Mio said.

“Well, we are Ouroboros partners,” Eunie said. “I think it’d be harder not to bond with someone who’s seen inside your head. Someone who has your life in their hand’s every battle.”

“That’s true,” Mio said. “But I think it may be more than just chance that decided who our Ouroboros partners would be. I mean, all six of us were there. So what connected Noah and me, or Sena and Lanz, and you and Taion?”

Eunie raised an eyebrow. “Are you saying it was like fate or something?”

Mio shrugged. “Noah seems to think so, but I meant more like there’s a reason we each clicked with our partners. We’re each sort of kindred spirits, you know? Noah and I have off-seeing in common. Sena and Lanz are two peas in a pod: same interests, similar personalities, even the same insecurities, I think.”

“There’s one gaping hole in your theory, love,” Eunie said. “Taion and I didn’t ‘click.’ Not at first, anyway. We’re total opposites.”

Mio laughed.

“What?” Eunie asked. “I say something funny?”

“Sorry,” Mio said. “It’s just kind of ironic, how you two think you’re so different, but you’re so much alike.”

“Care to enlighten me?”

“You’re both stubborn, highly opinionated, sarcastic, argumentative, and I dare say a little bit cocky at times.”

“Ouch!” Eunie said. “Put those Blades away, Mio, before you wound me any more.”

“But you’re alike in good ways as well,” Mio said. “You’re both brave in your own ways, caring, quick witted, and deeply loyal to your friends. You always have our backs, in battle or otherwise.”

“Yeah, alright. I suppose you’ve got a point,” Eunie said. “We are alike in some ways. But you could have said that without the laundry list of faults, you know.”

“What this?” Lanz asked as he and Sena joined them by the fire, having just finished their workout. “Someone making a list of Eunie’s faults? I’ve got plenty to contribute.”

"Come on Lanz, don’t be mean,” Sena said.

“What’s this now?” Noah asked, joining the group.

“Alright, new topic!” Eunie declared. “What are we making for dinner?”

“Oh, cannot leave Manana out of this conversation!” the female Nopon declared from where she’d been watching Riku craft gems.

“Riku also gets a vote, yes?” the blue Nopon asked.

“Looks like a lively conversation,” Isurd observed from where he and Taion were training.

Taion chuckled. “Indeed.”

“I’m glad to know you’re traveling with such good company,” Isurd said. “It’ll help me worry a little less about your well-being when I can’t accompany you all.”

“You needn’t worry, Commander. I’ve come a long way since I was a soldier in Lambda. As you’ve seen, our group is quite capable in a fight.”

“It’s not just battles I worry about,” Isurd said. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wondered if you were okay. Every time I got word about Colony Gamma losing soldiers, I clung to hope that I wouldn’t see your name on the list. After Nimue died, I vowed that I wouldn’t let anything happen to you. I wanted to protect you for my own sake and for hers. When you asked to transfer to Gamma, I felt the same pain I did when we lost Nimue. But you were in so much pain. I thought it would be selfish for me to keep you stationed at Lambda.”

“Commander…”

Taion didn’t know what to say. He had always envied and admired how easily Commander Isurd could speak to what weighed on his mind and heart. He seemed to have found just the right balance between intellect and emotion. Nimue had been like that, too.

Isurd smiled. “I remember when you first came to Lambda, just this little third-termer. Nimue sensed your aptitude right away. You’re the only other person I’ve known who can master the Mondo.”

Taion took the opportunity to shift the conversation in a less emotional direction. He didn’t want to cry in front of his friends or the commander again after having done so only a few days before.

“Eunie’s actually becoming quite skilled with the Mondo,” Taion said.

“She’s a very talented healer,” Isurd said. “I’m glad you have another healer in your group. Every––”

“Healer needs a healer,” Taion quoted. “I haven’t forgotten.”

Isurd laughed. “See to it you don’t. Actually, speaking of Eunie, I should be teaching my Arts to you both. You can never have too much knowledge.”

“I think that’s a good idea,” Taion said. “Shall I ask her to join us?”

“Please do.”

Taion nodded and approached the group.

“Eunie, may I borrow you for a moment?” he asked, briefly interrupt the group’s dinner preparations.

“Go on, friend Eunie!” Manana encouraged. “Manana can handle din-din duties from here. Alone time is important for partners to maintain good relationship.”

The Nopon looked suggestively from Eunie to Taion. Eunie hadn’t the slightest clue what the little furball was implying, but something about the way she implied it brought a blush to Eunie’s cheeks. Taion appeared no more perplexed by Manana than usual.

Eunie followed him a short ways away from their friends.

“What’s up?” she asked.

“Commander Isurd suggested it would be beneficial for both of us to learn his Arts together. It would be more efficient for us to learn simultaneously, especially while we have the commander here with us.”

“Oh,” Eunie said. “Well, I mean, I’d be happy to learn. It’s just…”

She held her hand palm up and summoned a Mondo. “I’m still mastering the Mondo. Not sure I should drop learning one skill halfway through to learn another. And Agnian healing is different from Kevesi in some ways. I may not learn from Isurd as quickly as you do. Won’t that slow you down?”

Taion looked genuinely surprised by Eunie’s doubts. She was usually (almost infuriatingly) confident.

“You won’t slow me down at all,” Taion said. “You’re a very skilled healer. You’ll more than keep pace.”

“You really think so?”

“Obviously! I wouldn’t have said so otherwise. As for the Mondo, it took me years to master. You’ve scarcely been at it a month, and it’s not like I’ve mastered your abilities either.”

A thought occurred to Eunie. “Say, why have we been trying to learn each other’s Arts on our own, anyway? Wouldn’t it make more sense for us to teach each other?”

“That would certainly be more efficient. As for not doing so before, well…I assumed you’d prefer to spend as little time together as possible, given we didn’t get off to a great start.”

Eunie smirked. “By which you mean you preferred to stay as far away from me as possible.”

“Well, I don’t think it was that exactly!” Taion protested. “You must admit we rather clashed in the beginning.”

Eunie laughed. “We did butt heads a fair bit, didn’t we? But we’re good now.”

Taion nodded. “Very much so.”

“Taion!” Isurd called. “It’s taking you an awfully long time to make our case. You must not be selling me as a very good teacher.”

Eunie recognized the look of jest on Isurd’s face and joined in.

“Taion does rather lack powers of persuasion, doesn’t he?” she said loudly.

This greatly flustered Taion, much to Eunie’s satisfaction. Queen’s wings, he was fun to tease.

“Now hold on,” Taion said. “I didn’t ask for you two to gang up on me!”

Eunie and Isurd both laughed.

“Come on then,” Eunie said. “Think we can squeeze in a lesson before dinner?”

LEFTHERIA, ALREST - FOUR YEARS AFTER THE RESET

“I don’t understand why it’s so hard for me!” Eunie said in frustration as the flock of Mondo she’d summoned fell to the ground in mid-flight. No matter how hard she tried, Eunie just couldn’t seem to maintain her control of them.

“You’re doing great, Eunie!” Nimue said. “You’re learning quickly.”

“But I shouldn’t need to learn it all over again,” Eunie said. “I knew how to do it before.”

Nimue placed her icy hands on Eunie’s shoulders reassuringly. “It’s alright, Eunie. In many way, you are learning this for the first time. You’re learning in a different body, in a different world. The flow of ether is bound to be different, too.”

Eunie nodded, but Taion could tell she was just barely holding her frustration back.

“Why don’t we take a break?” he suggested, his own Mondo disappearing from his hand.

His sister nodded. “I should get dinner started soon anyway.” She offered their guest a reassuring smile. “Same time tomorrow for practice?”

Eunie nodded. “Yes. Thank you.”

When Nimue had returned to the house, Taion approached.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“I just said––”

“No. What’s actually got you upset?”

Sparks, Eunie thought. He could see right through her. Still, his question irritated her.

“What?” Eunie asked. “Can’t read my thoughts?”

Taion sighed. “I wish I still could.”

The way he said it was so sweet and sincere, Eunie couldn’t shut him out. She lowered her defenses.

“Yeah,” she said. “It was a bit easier, when we could Interlink. Didn’t have to put it into words, as much.” She took a deep breath. “It’s just…when I can’t control the Mondo, it makes me feel like I’m not the person I’m supposed to be. I can remember that last life in Aionios so clearly, but I haven’t retained all the skills or the knowledge I had. It’s like…is the person I was there…is she gone? Is that life still real?”

“You’re the same Eunie,” he assured. "In every way that matters."

She shook her head. “It’s just…between Aionios and the Reset…and then, me being here in Alrest…even though I want to be here with you…and your family, and I enjoy going to school in Agnus…I miss my home. I miss Melia. I miss my brothers, even though it’s only been three weeks since I saw them. And that’s pathetic, I know, but I just feel…fragmented.”

Taion pulled her into a hug. He tried not to second guess the gesture or to question its meaning, as he did almost every interaction between them these days. All that mattered in that moment was making Eunie feel safe and understood.

“It’s been a lot,” he said. “And there’s a lot we’re still figuring out.”

She nodded.

“I have a theory about the Mondo, at least,” Taion offered,

“Yeah? What’s that?”

“You may be focusing too much on what you think the Mondo should be rather than allowing them to what they are. For example, the Mondo you’ve summoned look just like mine, but to really master the Art, you need to summon Mondo unique to you. Let’s try this.”

He stepped back and cupped her hand in his with her palm facing up.

“Each Mondo you create contains a small amount of your ether––a literal, tiny piece of yourself. That’s how you can sense and control the Mondo no matter how many there are or where they go. As such, your Mondo should reflect you,” he explained. “Try summoning again, but this time, relinquish any expectation about what shape the Mondo should take. Let it be what it is.”

“O…kay,” Eunie said doubtfully.

He gently squeezed her hand in encouragement.

She concentrated on summoning the Blade, focused on infusing it with a very small fragment of her lifeforce. A Mondo appeared in her hand looking not like Taion’s standard Mondo, but like the one they had created in their Ouroboros form. The small paper creature spun in her hand, showing off its diamond-patterned wings.

She looked at Taion in amazement. “Did we summon it together?”

“No. It’s all you.”

He removed his hand to ensure he had no influence on the summon.

“Create a few more,” he encouraged.

Duplicate Mondo sprung forth until a small collection hovered before her.

“See?” he said. “Each Mondo is both individual and part of the whole. Each a small extension of yourself.”

Eunie nodded. “I think I get it.”

She instructed the Mondo to fly in a group, then return to her. Each dove toward her hand, disappearing into a small pool of green ether glowing around her palm.

Taion smiled. “You see?”

She returned the smile. “Thanks, Taion.”

Both had more they wanted to say, but were unsure how to say it. They stepped toward each other, but at that moment, Fiona burst out of the house, announcing that dinner was ready.

“Ah…I suppose we should go inside,” Taion said with an undertone of disappointment.

“S-sure,” Eunie agreed.

Wordlessly, she reached for his hand and led him towards the house.

Chapter Text

MAKTHA WILDWOOD, AIONIOS

 “W-we have to walk across that?” Eunie asked, fearful eyes focused on the moss-covered tree branch that was to serve as their bridge. For a tree branch, it was massive. As a bridge, it looked narrow, slippery, and far too high above the ground to be safe.

Eunie had made her fear of heights, or rather her fear of falling from tall heights, clear before. Frankly, Taion thought it was a rational fear.

“It’ll be alright, Eunie,” Sena said. “We’ll just be careful. It’s perfectly safe. Right, Taion?”

“Uh, well…” He hadn’t been prepared for that question, nor was he a skilled liar.

“So it is a death trap!” Eunie said.

“No, no!” Taion rushed to reassure her. “There’s nothing to suggest the branch is unstable.”

“There’s also nothing to suggest it is,” Eunie said.

“Look,” Lanz said. “Unless you know an alternative path, we have to cross. That’s that. Getting worked up over it is just psyching you out.”

Eunie swallowed. She looked to Taion. “I don’t suppose there is another way or you’d have said so already.”

“Sorry, Eunie.” And he sincerely was. He didn’t like seeing her distressed. “This does appear to be our only path.”

“It’ll be okay, guys,” Noah said, leading by example and starting across the branch.

Mio followed him. “Just mind your step,” she said.

“Sparkin’ brilliant advice there,” Eunie muttered.

Commander Isurd, Lanz, Sena, and the Nopon started across the branch as well.

Eunie took a deep breath, took one step forward, hesitated, and retreated.

“Here,” Taion said, offering his hand.

She looked doubtful. “But if one of us falls, won’t we just take the other one with us?”

“If anything happens, we’ll Interlink,” Taion explained. “That will allow us to fly to the other side.”

“Why not just do that in the first place then?” she asked.

“It would be better to save that as a last resort,” he said. “We’re more likely to escape notice from hostile forces if we aren’t a giant, glowing entity.”

Eunie nodded. “Right. Okay. A contingency then.”

“Exactly so.”

She took his hand and followed as they carefully progressed forward. She was just a step away from the other side when a large, winged monster swooped toward them. Eunie shrieked, instinctively ducking. She lost her footing and slipped.

“Eunie!”

Taion grabbed her and hauled her off the branch, on to solid ground.

Her breathing was panicked, her fists closed tightly as she clung to his shirt.

“It’s okay,” he said, attempting to assure both her and himself. He wrapped his arms around her. “You’re okay, Eunie.”

The others rushed to them, all inquiring if she was alright. Eunie rounded on her friends.

“It’s perfectly safe, is it?!” she snapped. “Mind my step? I was mindin’ my snuffin’ step when that bloody snuffin’ monster took a swipe at me!”

“Maybe it thought you were a bird?” Lanz suggested, pointing at Eunie’s wings.

She took a step towards Lanz, clearly bent on pummeling him, but Taion held her back.

“Just a thought!” Lanz said, holding his hands up in surrender. “I’m not trying to make light of the situation.”

“I’ll give you something to make light of you snuffin’ arsehole!” Eunie said. “Taion, let me go! I’m gonna thrash this lunk!”

“That’s exactly what I’m trying to prevent!” Taion said.

“Come on guys, stop fighting!” Sena said. “Let’s all just take a rest and calm down.”

“That would be my suggestion as well,” Isurd said.

Riku agreed. “Yes. Friends need to cool heads.”

“And fill bellies!” Manana piped. “Is far too easy to get cranky when hungry.”

The others proceeded to set up a rest spot, but Taion and Eunie hung back. Taion could feel her trembling.

“Arseholes,” she cursed, followed by several more expletives.

Despite her words, her tone made clear it was fear, not rage, causing her tremors. Taion didn’t like to involve himself in confrontations, nor was he particularly accustomed to offering comfort, but he made the effort.

“Eunie, you’re safe now,” he said.

He'd intended this as reassurance, but it came out more as a statement of fact. Sparks but he was out of his element. But to his surprise, his words seemed to help calm her. Her breathing gradually returned to normal.

“You’re right,” she said.

She ran a hand through her hair, the locks damp with sweat. Due to the heat of the forest, Eunie had wrapped her jacket around her waist, leaving her arms bear. Taion could feel sweat on her skin. She needed water, he thought, releasing her and retrieving a canteen from his bag.

“Here,” he offered.

“Thanks, but I can drink up at the pool just ahead.”

“This is filtered. I’ll refill it later. Go ahead.”

He pressed the bottle into her hand. For once, he wasn’t trying to be bossy. He just knew how stubborn Eunie could be.

“Okay,” she relented. “Thanks.”

She took a few gulps and replaced the cap. She made to return it to him, then thought better of it.

“I’ll wash it off at camp,” she offered.

“It’s fine,” he said, taking a swig from the canteen himself.

Weeks of travel had forced his inner germophobe to relax its usual standards. They had much bigger problems than drinking after one another. Besides, Eunie and Taion’s souls were literally tethered. Sharing water was hardly intimate by comparison.

Eunie, however, seemed surprised.

“What?” he asked defensively.

“A month ago, you’d have rather drunk poison than risk sharing my germs,” she said.

He scoffed. “You exaggerate.”

“Pfft. Hardly.”

Taion couldn’t put his finger on why, but this line of conversation irritated him.

“Whatever. We should rejoin the others.”

He made toward the rest spot, halted by Eunie’s hand on his arm.

“Yes?” he asked.

“I just wanted to say…thanks. For looking after me.”

She looked at him with such sincerity, it threw him off guard. Even after how close they’d grown of late, Taion wasn’t accustomed to receiving such a look from her, and he was wholly unprepared for his strange response––the way his heart sped up, how he became hyper-aware of her hand on his arm, of how close they were standing, and how his stomach felt like it was doing somersaults.

“O-of course,” he stammered. “It’s my job.”

“Right,” she said.

Wait, he thought. Was she disappointed by his response? Her reaction only baffled him further.

“I mean it’s my job as your partner––and friend,” he amended.

“Right,” she said again, smiling this time. But the smile didn’t quite reach her eyes.

Oh sparks, he thought, his mind racing with panic. He’d screwed up again, but where and how, he didn’t know. He already knew he’d be replaying this interaction in his mind until he’d determined every possible mistake.

“Eunie!” Sena called. “There’s a pool of water. Want to cool off?”

“Okay!” Eunie called back. She nodded toward camp. “Guess we should…”

“Right. Sure.”

She released his arm and walked toward their friends, and for reasons eluding him, Taion instantly missed her touch.

This heat is affecting my brain, he thought. I just need to rehydrate. That’s all.  

The girls threw off their jackets and shoes and jumped into the pool of water fully clothed. Lanz made to follow.

“You cannonball in here, Lanz, and I swear by the Clock, I will end you!” Eunie warned.

Riku and Manana splashed into the pool as well.

“Now might be a good time to take stock of provisions,” Taion mentioned to Noah and Isurd.

They agreed.

Taion collected the group’s canteens for washing. He filled a pot with water and heated it over the fire, washed the bottles, replaced their filters, and returned to the pool to refill them. As he did, he found his gaze flickering to Eunie. She appeared to have recovered from her earlier scare and was floating serenely on her back, eyes closed as if taking nap. The sun reflected off the droplets of water in her hair. She was very beautiful, he realized, when she was being quiet, at least.

By the Queen! he thought. Dehydration or the heat was driving him mad.

He drank deeply from his canteen and splashed water on his face. Still his eyes found their way back to Eunie.

“Anything I can help with here?” Isurd asked.

“N-no,” Taion said, returning his focus to his task. He topped off his canteen. “No, sir. I’ve got everything handled.”

“My apologies,” Isurd said. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“Not at all, Commander. My mind was simply…elsewhere.”

Isurd followed Taion’s gaze, looking from Eunie back to the tactician.

“You two share a deep connection,” Isurd observed.

“An inevitable result of becoming Ouroboros, I suppose,” Taion said.

“Are you sure about that?”

“I, well…” Taion fumbled for an answer. “I’m not sure what else it could be, unless you have a different hypothesis, Commander?”

“I’m not sure what you would call it,” Isurd said. “A close friendship? A bond? Those terms don’t quite do it justice, I think. But your connection, it reminds me of what Nimue and I shared.”

Taion didn’t know how to respond to that insight, but Isurd didn’t push.

“Still not going in the water?” Isurd asked. “Have you developed a phobia?”

“Not a phobia, exactly,” Taion said. “I’m not afraid of being in the water. I just find it unpleasant.”

“A word of advice, Taion.”

“Sir?”

“Don’t let past regrets rob you of joy in the present. Maybe it’s because I’m in my final term, or because I’ve been traveling with you all and joining you in your mission, but I find myself pondering how limited our days in this world are. We should appreciate moments of happiness whenever they come our way. Nimue would tell you the same.”

Taion took those words to heart. “I will…bear that in mind, Commander.”

Isurd patted Taion on the shoulder. “Good man.”

LEFTHERIA, ALREST - FOUR YEARS AFTER THE RESET

 “Come on, Tai-Tai, help me look for shells!” eleven-year-old Fiona said, tugging on her brother’s arm.

Eunie knew that had this request come from anyone else, Taion would have declined, but it was Fiona’s birthday, and even on a regular day, Taion hated to disappoint his younger sister. Fiona was so adorable, she had all of her adopted siblings wrapped around her finger. Eunie, too, for that matter.

“Alright,” Taion agreed. “But let’s stick to where it’s shallow, agreed?”

Fiona beamed. “Eunie-noony, you’re coming, too, right?”

“Of course! Can’t refuse a request from the birthday girl.”

It was as perfect a summer day as one could hope for: warm, but not oppressively hot, with the sun setting over water that was as clear as glass. Eunie took a moment to memorize the sight, the scent of the ocean, and the touch of the breeze. She savored the happiness around and within her.

Isurd and Nimue rested together in the shade of an umbrella on the shore, smiling and conversing quietly. Fiona pumped her fist into the air, celebrating Taion’s discovery of a perfect conch shell in the shallow waters. Even Taion was smiling.

“I’ll take this with me to school,” Fiona said. “To remind me of home. Eunie-noony, did you know you can use this to hear the ocean?”

Eunie laughed. “I can hear the ocean just fine, love. I’m standing in it right now.”

“I mean when you’re away from the ocean,” Fiona clarified. “Here, try it!”

The younger girl placed the shell to Eunie’s ear like a telephone.

“Oh yeah, I can hear it,” Eunie said. “I get what you mean, Fi.”

They continued hunting for shells, the water rising only to the height of Eunie’s knees, the waves around them inconsequential until a large and powerful wave surged behind them, dunking them under water for an instant and soaking them from head to toe.

Eunie spit out a mouthful of seawater.

“Oh, great,” she said. “Now my feathers will take forever to dry.”

“Perhaps we should return to shore before another wave like that forms,” Taion advised, removing his glasses that were blurry with seawater.

Fiona reluctantly agreed.

“Here,” Eunie offered, extending her hand to Taion. His vision was such that without his glasses she didn’t trust him to make it to shore alone.

He took her hand and interlaced their fingers. Fiona took hold of Eunie’s other free hand.

When they made it to shore, Fiona skipped off to show Isurd and Nimue the shells they’d collected.

Eunie rummaged through her bag single-handedly, as her other hand was still held by Taion.

“Here you go,” she said, offering him a cleaning cloth for his glasses.

He squeezed her hand before releasing it to attend to his glasses.

“Look at you, coming prepared,” he teased.

“Well, a month with you lot rubs off on a girl.”

He handed her a towel from the stack they had brought. Eunie caught herself sneaking glances at Taion as they dried off, and thinking how handsome he was. No one would suspect it of the bold, brash Eunie, but she’d been feeling somewhat insecure in her own body of late. She was nearly fifteen years old and her body was a crossroads. The minor baby fat of her youth had gone, but her body continued to grow and change, having not quite become the equivalent of the body she’d known during her last days in Aionios. Her mind felt at a sort of crossroads as well, one part of her still the girl that’d raced down the streets of her hometown with her three best friends to watch fireworks, another part of her the culmination of a hundred lives in another world. And as for her feelings, they were a crowded forest containing no clear path.

It was difficult to determine where feelings from her past lives ended and her own present feelings began. Some, she thought, continued across lifetimes and worlds: her love for her brothers, her friends, and certainly for Taion. She’d suspected her feelings for him in that last life in Aionios, but had neither the knowledge nor time to be certain. With her memories of life before the Collision returned to her, the feelings seemed obvious. Of course she loved him. She loved him in a way she had never loved anyone.

The emotion felt both familiar and terrifyingly new. There were so many times, especially the last few weeks when it was just the two of them, she wanted to blurt out her confession. She could sense the words burning in her chest, desperate to get out, but something held her back every time.

Older memories from many lives ago came to her in dreams, more frequently with each passing year. Each was like a puzzle piece slowly forming a complete picture. There had been one life, one shared with the Noah and Mio that became N and M, in which Eunie had been born from a cradle in the City. In that life, when she was only slightly older than now, a whirlwind of romance, from first kiss to marriage in a matter of weeks had propelled Eunie and Taion out of childhood and into adulthood. She recalled the speed and intensity of it. The memories blazed within her still, and the ferocity of it frightened her.

Physically she was almost the same age as she’d been in that life when she and Taion had become romantically involved, but here, she need not dispense with childhood so soon. They were no longer confined to a life of ten years. Still, she feared they might follow the same course, with the same intensity. She didn’t feel prepared for that, yet.

Eunie shivered, goosebumps rising on her skin as the approaching night cooled the air. Taion noticed and wrapped a blanket around her.

“Thank you,” she said.

“Eunie, wait till you see the island light up at night!” Fiona said. “It’s incredible.”

“Can’t wait.”

She sat down beside Taion on the towel he’d placed on the sand.

“Why don’t we eat a snack while we wait for it to get dark?” Nimue suggested. “Would the birthday girl care to do the honors?”

“Nini and I made mochi in matcha and strawberry flavors,” Fiona said. “Will you try some, Eunie?”

“’Course, love, so long as your brothers didn’t help make it.”

"I confess that my culinary skills are lacking," Isurd agreed. "But they still aren't as bad as Taion's."

Nimue agreed with her husband. "I tried to teach Taion," she said. "But cooking and baking might be the one area where Taion is such a poor student."

"Need you all rag on me at once?" Taion asked.

Eunie bumped Taion’s shoulder with her own. “At least you make a good cuppa.”

Taion welcomed the chance to change the subject. “Speaking of, I brought a tea that pairs well with the mochi."

He found a thermos among their belongings and distributed the tea to them all. Fiona passed around the mochi on small dessert plates.

“You all seriously come prepared for everything!” Eunie said in amazement.

“Which flavor did you choose?” Taion asked her, reclaiming his spot beside her.

“Strawberry. You?”

“Matcha, though I’m second guessing my choice.”

“Easy solution to that,” Eunie said. “We can share.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, of course! Well, hang on. This is actually a bit difficult to break in two.”

“It’s sticky rice, so that figures,” Taion said. “Here.”

He summoned a Mondo that cut the dessert cleanly in half. The paper creature offered Eunie one half of each flavor.

“Thanks, little guy,” she said.

“So?” Taion inquired after she’d tried each. “What’s the verdict?”

“Not sure I can choose,” she said honestly. “They’re both good.”

Fiona flashed Taion and Eunie a knowing look and spoke rather loudly. “Izzy, Nini, will you help me look for more shells further down the beach?”

She tugged on her guardians’ arms.

“You really want more, Fi?” Isurd asked. “Alright. It’s your day.”

Fiona winked over her shoulder at Eunie. The High Entia was grateful the dark concealed her blush.

“So, what’s your vote?” she asked Taion as he finished his half of the mochi.

“I think I might have a slight preference for the strawberry,” he admitted.

“It pairs well with the tea,” Eunie noted. “What kind is this?”

“Passion fruit,” he said plainly.

Eunie cleared her mind of all the jokes her brothers would make about that if they were here right now. She hid her discomfort by fiddling with the blanket wrapped around her.

“Still cold?” Taion asked.

He wrapped his arms around her, pressing her to his side. Eunie leaned into his embrace.

A scene from another life flashed in her mind: Eunie held in Taion’s arms as a fierce snowstorm raged around their temporary shelter, waiting for news of the friends.

She leaned further into him, pushing the memory away. She just wanted to be this Eunie right now, rooted in this moment.

“Eunie, look,” Taion said, pointing toward a row of plants coming alight in the dark.

“Wow,” She said. “It’s beautiful. It’s like what we saw on Erythea Sea.”

Eunie instantly regretted her words. Hadn’t she just been trying to avoid thoughts of past lives? But maybe that was a futile effort. Her past selves were still part of her present.

“Eunie? What’s wrong?” Taion asked. “You tensed up all of the sudden.”

He gently placed a hand on her back. Her body relaxed at his touch.

“Sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to bring up…”

“There’s no need to apologize,” he assured. “We’ve discussed Aionios plenty of times before. Has something in particular upset you?”

“Sort of,” she confessed. “I’ve been having dreams lately about older lives. Older memories than our last lives in Aionios.”

“Memories like the one from the battlefield at Kana?”

She shook her head. “No. Nothing that bad.”

He sighed in what Eunie thought was relief.

“Regardless, you can talk to me about it,” he said. “If you want.”

She bit her lip, hesitating. No sense hiding it, she reasoned. She’d only worry him until he had answers.

“I’ve been seeing a life where you and I, Noah and Mio, Lanz and Sena, were born in the City. The first City. Do you…remember anything like that?” 

He was quiet for a moment, probably weighing his words. “I do, actually,” he said. “I’ve been having dreams like that, too.”

Eunie swallowed and summoned her courage, finally giving voice to a question that had weighed heavy on her heart in recent days. “Do you remember…us from that life?”

She felt Taion tense. He took a deep breath.

“Yes,” he said after a time. “I remember.”

Eunie’s heart was pounding with the force of Sena’s hammer. It was so loud and Taion’s voice so soft she almost didn’t hear him whisper her name. She pulled away just enough to study his face.

His hands trembled as he covered hers with his own, but his eyes held the same steely determination she’d seen in him on the battlefield.

“Eunie,” he said, more loudly this time. He squeezed her hands. “You know my feelings from then, they haven’t changed.”

She felt her heart swell to the point it might burst. It was elation and terror in the same instant. Somehow, she found the ability to speak. Her words sounded strangely calm given the clamor of thoughts racing through her head.

“Mine haven’t either,” she confessed. “But…it does scare me. I worry about us moving too fast. Things happened so quickly last time. What if it plays out the same way?”

Taion reached up, gently stroking her cheek. Even that small action caused electricity to coarse through her. She leaned into his touch.

“I understand,” he said. “I…I’ve had similar thoughts. ‘Us’…you…you’re so important to me. I don’t want to mess this up.”

She sighed. "Sounds like we’re in the same Levnis, then.”

“But you know,” he said. “We chose to remake the worlds so we could walk a new path, right?”

She nodded.

“So I don’t think we’re predestined to tread the same path as before.”

“We can go slow,” she reasoned. “Move at our own pace.”

“Yes. Exactly. We have time.”

"We have time," she agreed. She covered his hand on her cheek and turned to kiss his palm where his term mark had been.

His breath caught. “Eunie.”

She wasn’t sure who leaned in first or if they did so simultaneously. All she knew was his lips on hers, their first kiss a little cautious and infinitely sweet. She felt like a thousand of her Mondo were fluttering in stomach.

When they broke apart, they exchanged a nervous laugh.

“That may be the biggest smile I’ve ever seen from you,” she said, playfully poking the corner of his mouth.

“Can you blame me?”

“Happy, are you?” she teased.

“Deliriously so.”

“Then I’ll just have to do my best to keep it that way,” she said.

Taion ran a hand through her hair, his hand coming to rest on the back of her neck. “That goes both ways, you know.”

She leaned in towards him again.

“The others will be back soon,” Taion warned even as he kept his eyes fixed on her lips and leaned in.

“Right,” Eunie said. “And it is Fi’s birthday. Don’t want to steal her thunder.”

She gave him one long, final kiss and snuggled into his embrace.

He kissed the top of her head. “I love you,” he said.

Eunie had thought she’d find it terrifying, receiving and speaking those words, but they came easily, the most natural thing in the world.

“I love you, too.”

Chapter Text

ORIGIN, AIONIOS

Ouroboros had found shelter and a brief reprieve from battle in a storage room aboard Origin. The group took a moment to check the conditions of their Blades, rest, and heal from the many battles with Moebius-like monsters they’d encountered thus far. The group had grown proficient enough in one another’s Arts that Eunie and Taion no longer needed to tend to their friends’ minor injuries. Taion would have preferred the distraction though, rather than this lull that allowed his worries to race endlessly through his mind. As had become his habit to do in such moments, he turned his attention to Eunie. His Ouroboros partner sat on the ground, her staff balanced on her knees as she inspected the Blade. Taion took a seat beside her.

“This fight isn’t ending any time soon,” he said. “Eunie, are you feeling alright?”

She looked up from her Blade, appearing surprised by his concern. “I’m fine, innit? And you? You haven’t…chipped a nail or anything, have you?”

Despite her attempt at levity, there was an edge of worry in her tone. A few months ago, Taion wouldn’t have picked up on something so subtle when it came to the Kevesi healer. Now, he felt attuned to even the smallest details concerning Eunie.

“I’m fine,” he said. “Or as fine as can be reasonably expected under the circumstances.”

She reached for his hands and took them in her own. She examined his fingernails, which he knew to be scratched, damaged, and dirty.

“Looks like you got a few chips, after all.” Despite the attempt at a joke, there was no humor in her voice. “Guess we’ll both need a manicure after this.”

“I suppose so.”

“Any injuries you need me to heal?” she asked.

For reasons he couldn’t explain, her concern made his heart skip a beat.

“No, I’m alright. But thanks for checking.”

She offered a small smile which didn’t reach her eyes. “Ditto.”

She gently squeezed his hands before letting them go.

“Hey,” she said, unusually hesitant. “Do you think…if we defeat Moebius, and the worlds split apart…will we remember any of this? As awful as this world is, as much crap as we’ve faced…I don’t want to forget what we’ve fought for. I don’t want to forget the memories we’ve made. And...I don’t want to lose who I am, either.”

“You won’t lose who you are,” Taion said with certainty.

Eunie was doubtful. “But how do you know?”

“It’s like I told you before. You’ll be the same no matter how many times you’re reborn. You’re far too stubborn to do otherwise.”

“Yeah?” she said, suddenly defensive. “Something wrong with the way I am?”

“What? No! I…I didn’t mean it as an insult.”

Eunie raised an eyebrow. “Hold on. Then, are you admitting you like me the way I am?”

Taion struggled for an answer. “Well…I-I…I mean…is that not obvious? We are friends, after all.”

“No, no, no,” Eunie said, grinning ear to ear. “You’re not getting off that easy. With how many times you’ve declared that I irritate the corn out of you, I want to hear you say it. Come on. Admit it. You’ve taken a shine to me.”

He sighed. “You are impossible.”

“Aaaannnddd?” she sing-songed, giving him a friendly nudge.

“And…I wouldn’t want you to change.”

“Wow!” Eunie praised. “Never thought I’d hear those words from you.”

“Ha! She says after practically twisting my arm. Well?” he asked expectantly.

“‘Well’ what?”

“Don’t you have something you’d like to say to me in return?”

“Sure, alright then,” she said, unafraid. “Taion, you can be a bossy, prickly, know-it-all––”

“Eunie!”

“And I like you the way are anyway.”

“Sparks alive…” he muttered, smiling despite himself. “We really have come a long way, haven’t we?”

Eunie laughed. “Yeah, we have.”

A companionable silence settled between them, the two of them content to simply be there with another, sharing this rare moment of contentment.  

“I’m not going to forget you,” Eunie declared, seemingly out of the blue.

“What?” Taion asked.

“In the next world,” she clarified. “Even if the worlds split apart, and we’re reborn…I’m not going to forget you. So…you better not go forgetting me either, got it?”

Taion felt his heart stop. The way she was looking at him, so sincerely, with so much trust and understanding and…something he just didn’t have the words for…

“Eunie.” Taion took a deep breath, summoned his courage, and met her eyes. “I don’t think I could forget you if I tried.”

Her breath hitched. Taion found himself in unfamiliar waters, unable to determine what exactly was happening between them. He retreated to more familiar shores.

“Anyway,” he said, attempting to lighten the mood. “You’re the most stubborn person I have ever met. If I do forget you, I expect you’ll cross a universe just to whack me upside the head and remember.”

Her laughter broke the tension between them. He wanted to bottle that sound. He wanted to commit it to memory.

“You better damn well believe I will,” Eunie said. She poked him lightly in the chest. “And that’s a promise.”

LEFTHERIA, ALREST - 4 YEARS AFTER THE RESET

Eunie and Taion pieced together each other’s stories of life before their reunion over the course of many conversations.

In their lives before Aionios, as the worlds had drawn closer together, Fog gathered more quickly, more densely, and more unpredictably. Annihilation events involved too many variables to be predicted with any certainty in those days. The island in the Leftherian Archipelago on which Taion was born suffered such an event when he was but six years old. His life, along with Nimue and Isurd’s, had been spared due to their being at school on a neighboring island at the time of the event. Two-year-old Fiona had luck and her own innate curiosity to thank for her survival. Had she not wandered off following a Nopon caravan that departed the village that morning, she would not have survived. The four youths were all that remained of their village. The then-eighteen-year-old Nimue and Isurd had taken Taion and Fiona in, immigrated with them to Agnus, and married in Torigoth where they became the children’s legal guardians.

Eunie had witnessed the destruction of her village on the Bionis Shoulder firsthand. Fog had branched out, striking different parts of the village like lightning, taking some and sparing others. One moment, Eunie’s High Entia mother had been in the fields gathering food, then in a flash of Fog, she was gone. Eight-year-old Eunie and her Homs father had little time to grieve before setting off with the other survivors towards the Kevesi capital. They hoped that the Queen of Kevese’s presence there meant a safer place to call home. The survivors consisted of Homs, High Entia, Machina, and many children of mixed parentage. Among the group was a boy named Lanz. Eunie knew Lanz in the way all children of a small community know each other, but friends they were certainly not. Frankly, Eunie thought Lanz and his friends a group of braggarts and bullies, especially their ringleader Garvel. But the annihilation event left no one from the village unchanged. Lanz’s father, a Homs, died in the event, leaving Lanz and his Machina mother to become refugees. En route to Harmony, an illness swept through the group of travelers, killing both Eunie’s father and Lanz’s mother. Their shared hardship forged an unbreakable friendship between the two from that point on. The remaining survivors accompanied the children to the Kevesi capital where they were placed in the care of an orphanage. There they met Noah and Joran, both also recently orphaned, and the four became each other’s family.  

Eunie had been away from the boys for about four weeks now. Much as she had enjoyed her summer holiday with the Conseils, and as giddy as she felt now that she Taion were together, she was looking forward to seeing her family tomorrow. Until then, she intended to savor her final day on the island.

“You’re up unusually early.” Eunie turned to find Taion standing in the doorway of the kitchen. “You usually sleep until noon.”

She was surprised to see Taion positively beaming. She wasn't sure she'd ever seen him so happy, but she was going to do everything in her power to keep him smiling like that.

“Well maybe I was just eager to see you,” she said, unable to contain her own smile.

Taion chuckled. “Is that so?”

He gave her a kiss and reached for her hands.

“Have any plans for the day?” he asked.

“Other than packing at some point, nope. You must have something in mind though if you’re asking.”

“Am I that easy to read?” Taion asked.

“Yeah, but it’s cute. Part of what makes you my reliable guy. So whatcha got in mind?”

His expression sobered. He squeezed her hands. “I was hoping you might accompany me somewhere.”

“Of course, love. We can go wherever you want.”

He cupped her cheek and kissed her again, slowly and gently. It was enough to make Eunie forget their surroundings. They startled apart at hear a gasp.

Fiona stood in the kitchen doorway, mouth agape. She pointed from one to the other.

“What…when did you two…”

“Sparks,” Taion muttered, ducking his head in embarrassment.

Eunie laughed. “It’s okay. It’s not like we’re keeping it secret, right?”

Taion nodded. “Right. Well…um. You see, Fiona, Eunie and I had a conversation last night and…well…now we’re together. As a couple. Romantically.”

“Smooth,” Eunie said under her breath.

“Last night?” Fiona asked. “When were at the beach? Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Sorry, Fi,” Eunie said. “We didn’t want to distract your birthday.”

“Are you kidding? This is the best birthday gift ever! I’m so happy for you both!”

The twelve-year-old rushed to embrace them.

“Does anybody else know?” Fiona asked.

“You’re the first,” Eunie said.

“Oh man! You’re gonna tell everyone, right? I don’t think I can keep this a secret for long.”

“Well, we weren’t exactly planning an announcement,” Taion said.

Eunie placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Taion could be such a private person.

“No big announcement,” she promised. “We’ll just let people know as opportunity allows. But it’s not a secret, Fi. Just don’t go telling the others before we get the chance, okay?”

“Can I at least be the one to tell Lan-Lan?” she asked. “We have a bet.”

“You were betting on whether Eunie and I would get together?” Taion asked.

“Not whether. When.”

“I think the news should probably come from me, love,” Eunie said.

“Your brother is a bad influence on Fiona,” Taion said.

“Aw, don’t say that, Tai-Tai. Lan-Lan’s great!”

Taion snorted. “We shall agree to disagree on that.”

Isurd and Nimue came down while the children were finishing breakfast.

“I’ll meet you out front in a bit,” Taion said to Eunie as he cleared the table. “I just need to speak to Isurd and Nimue about something.”

“Sure,” Eunie said. “See you in a bit then.”

She boldly kissed him on the cheek, then hurried off, smiling fiendishly at how easily she could fluster him in front of his siblings. Now all the Conseils were in the know, she thought. No announcement needed.

Having informed Isurd and Nimue of his plans, Taion led Eunie across the island. They climbed and descended a series of sandy hills dotted with sea-grass until they stopped atop a tall hill.

“Doing okay?” Taion asked.

“A little winded,” she admitted. “But if you mean the height, this isn’t high enough to bother me.”

She really should exercise more, Eunie thought. But she just detested it so much. She would tough it out for Taion, though. He was no fan of long hikes, either, so Eunie knew what he wanted to show her must be of great importance to him.

“See that lake there?” Taion asked, pointing toward a circular bowl of water in the distance.

The sight was not unlike those she’d seen throughout Aionios.

“I see it,” she said softly. “Taion, is that where…?”

He nodded. “That’s where the village once stood.”

She took his hand, unsure what to say.

“Would you like us to go closer to it?” she asked.

“No. Monsters often gather there. I wouldn’t want us to take any risks. Besides, there’s nothing to see.”

It pained Eunie to hear the heartache in his words.

“We can go home whenever you like,” Taion said. “I didn’t have much of a plan coming out here. I just felt compelled to show you, if that makes any sense. I don’t really know how to put it.”

“We can stay as long as you like,” she assured. “No rush.”

She wrapped her arms around him.

“Taion? Thanks for showing me. I know this place means a lot to you.”

He returned her embrace. “I wish you could have seen it the way I remember it,” he confessed.

“You can tell me about it, if you like.”

He nodded. “Okay then.”

He shared with her all the memories he feared he might forget. His mother's voice. His father's smile. Every remembrance down to the the smallest details. She committed his words to memory, too, so he need never shoulder the burden of preserving them all on his own.

"I wish you could have met them," he said. "Sometimes I wonder if there's some part of them still out there. If some part of them is still with me."

Eunie hugged him tighter. Despite all they'd learned about souls, about Aionios, and Origin, and their worlds, Eunie wasn't quite sure what exactly the soul was. Melia had called it a combination of one's thoughts, feelings, and memories, combined with the unique combination of ether contained within one person. But what happened to that collective being, that collective soul when not reincarnated as in Aionios, when it departed from the world a final time, no one could say. Still, there were some things Eunie felt sure of.

"A part of them's definitely with you," she assured. "Our memories, our thoughts...if they're part of our souls, then the thoughts they shared with you and the memories they made are a part of them that remains with you. Even if those memories fade, the feelings that they gave you don't. Love persists beyond worlds and lifetimes, right? We're the proof. Why shouldn't it persist beyond death?"

Taion smiled and kissed the top of her head. "Do you know, you are surprisingly wise."

"Why 'surprisingly,' eh? I haven't been your girlfriend 24 hours and here you are insulting me."

He chuckled softly. "I meant no offense, darling. Only that you're being more introspective than usual."

Her gaze became distant. "Well...I think about this kind of stuff, too. Sometimes."

He nodded. "Of course. You know you can talk to me about this, as well. When you want to."

"I know."

And someday, she thought, she would. But for today, this was enough.

Chapter Text

LEFTHERIA, ALREST - 4 YEARS AFTER THE RESET

When morning came, the Conseils and their guest prepared to depart the island for Torigoth where they would meet with Eunie’s family, as well as Mio's and Sena’s. Taion, Nimue, and Isurd had already packed the majority of their belongings and placed them by the door the night before, but Fiona was still rushing around her room, throwing things in bags and struggling to decide how many shells from her ever-expanding collection she could reasonably relocate to the Conseil’s home on the Agnus Castle grounds. Eunie wasn’t quite in the frenzy Fiona was, but nor was she as thoroughly prepared as the others. She was packing the last of her clothes when there came a knock on Fiona’s bedroom door.

“I’m almost done, I swear!” Fiona called. “I’m such a scatterbrain,” she muttered. “I should have done this yesterday. Izzy hates to get off schedule.”

“It’s alright, love,” Eunie assured. “We’ve got a little time. Besides, knowing Isurd, he’s already got plans B through Z if we do run behind. I’ll get the door. You keep packing.”

“Okay!” Fiona said, nodding gratefully.

“Hey, you,” Eunie greeted, finding Taion at the door. “Need Fiona for something?”

“Actually, I was looking for you,” Taion said. “Can you come with me for a moment?”

“Sure thing.”

Eunie closed the door behind her as Taion led her by the hand down the hall to his own room.

“Never been in here before,” Eunie said, taking in the small, tidy space. Unlike Fiona’s room, which was a burst of colors and collections, Taion’s room used a muted color palette. His writing desk was bare save for a single lamp. A bookshelf was filled from edge to edge with carefully organized books ranging from encyclopedias to novels.

“I have something for you,” Taion said.

“Oh?”

“It’s a tradition on this island to give guests a parting gift to remember their visit by,” he explained as he retrieved a small parcel from his desk drawer.

“What’s this?” Eunie asked as he placed the gift into her hand.

“You’re supposed to open it to find that out,” he teased.

Eunie unfolded the decorative paper wrapped around the object to find a small sphere of glass on a chain. The pendant contained a Fourtune Clover that had been dried and pressed to preserve it.

“Where did you find this?” she asked.

“I’ve had that clover awhile now,” he said. “That’s the Fourtune Clover I found out on the hill there—” He pointed to the hill outside his bedroom window. “—the day we first reunited, after the Reset.”

“You kept that all this time?” Eunie asked. “And you’re giving it to me?”

“Do you not like it?” Taion asked, panicking. “You don’t have to wear it as a necklace or anything, if you'd rather not—”

She cut him off with a kiss.

“I love it,” she assured him. “It’s perfect. Thank you, Taion.”

He breathed a sigh of relief.

“I really am surprised you kept this,” Eunie said. “I didn’t think you believed in Fourtune Clovers being lucky.”

“Well, that one is, at least,” Taion said. “Luckiest clover in both the worlds, I’d wager. It did, after all, lead me to you.”

“Guess it must be lucky then,” Eunie teased with a wink.

He laughed. “Indeed.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck. “You know, I think I got pretty lucky, too, finding such a reliable guy.”

He leaned in to kiss her, but barely had their lips touched when Eunie jumped back suddenly.

“Wait! I have something for you, too. Be right back!”

She sprinted down the hall and returned a few seconds later with something in hand.

“I was waiting for the right time to give you this,” she said, handing him the package.

Taion judged by the shape and weight that the brown wrapping paper contained a book, but the contents of the book surprised him. Beyond the Armu leather cover, he found a collection of tea recipes carefully written in both the Alrestian and Kevesi alphabets, with each recipe accompanied by simple, beautiful illustrations.

“It’s tea recipes from my world that weren’t included in the book you made me,” Eunie explained. “I thought this could be a sort of sequel to that one.” She tugged nervously at one of her wings. “Joran did the illustrations. And I wasn’t sure if my Alrestian writing was totally correct, so I wrote it in Kevesi, too—”

It was Taion’s turn to interrupt her with a kiss.

“It’s wonderful, Eunie. Thank you.”

She grinned. “Happy to, love.”

“You know,” he said. “Since these recipes are new to me, it might take a few tries for me to get them just right. I’m unfamiliar with some of the ingredients, as well. Would a certain Kevesi princess be willing to help me?”

Eunie pretended to think long and hard about the question. “Hmm. Well…okay. Someone has to make sure you don’t confuse the salt for the sugar.”

“One time that happens and you never let me live it down.”

She laughed. “Nope.”

“Guys!” Isurd called from downstairs. “We don’t want to be late. The ferry can’t wait all day.”

“I’m coming!” Fiona called from her room. The sound of hurried footsteps followed as Fiona raced down the stairs.

“Guess we should head down then,” Eunie said.

Taion agreed.

Eunie touched his cheek. “I love you. Know that?”

He smiled. “I love you, too.”

They shared one more kiss before gathering their things and heading down.

“He gave it to you!” Fiona chirped at seeing the Fourtune Clover pendant around Eunie’s neck.

“You knew about this, Fi?” Eunie asked.

“Of course! Who do you think told Tai-Tai to make it a necklace?”

Eunie raised an eyebrow at her boyfriend.

“Well,” Taion said, rubbing his neck. “I never claimed I didn’t have some help.”

“Everyone have everything they need?” Nimue asked as she and Isurd returned from taking one last look through the house.

Eunie took Taion’s hand. “Yup. Got it right here.”